


Hatchetfield's Throwing Range

by fencecollapsed



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:06:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22873711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencecollapsed/pseuds/fencecollapsed
Summary: "What a way to bond with your sister-in-law, right? Invite her axe-throwing."
Relationships: Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 6
Kudos: 130





	Hatchetfield's Throwing Range

**Author's Note:**

> They say write what you know and. I know axes, so...
> 
> Fun fact I wrote this almost entirely in between matches at the range I go to because I have brain rot

"Have you ever even held an axe?"

"No," Emma said with a shrug. "Tom says it doesn't matter. They have coaches, the point of the range is to learn."

Paul tapped his fists together, making an uneasy sound and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, Paul. Believe me, I won't blame you. I mean, I'm glad I'm not the only one reaching out anymore, but what a way to bond with your sister-in-law, right? Invite her axe-throwing."

"No, no, I'll go. If it sucks you shouldn't have to be there alone."

"Thanks for sticking around for all my family bullshit. You don't have to do that."

"I know. I want to."

"Ah! There it is!" Emma reached into her closet and pulled a dark green plaid shirt from its hanger. She put it on over her grey tee and rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. "What d'you think, babe? Do I work the lumberjack look?"

She flexed and jutted out her hip, hamming it up a bit. Paul looked her up and down like a runway judge. The rolled up flannel over her t-shirt, tucked into dark jeans cuffed at the bottoms was a good look. Emma was a regular beacon of bisexuality, and Paul found himself reminded of his college days dressed in flannel and leather jackets and beanies.

"You look great, Emma."

"Okay, good, I want to at least look like I know what I'm doing." She batted his arm to push him out of her room towards the front door. "C'mon, let's go, I don't want to keep him waiting again."

"Yeah, he might throw an axe in our heads."

\--

When they made it to the throwing range - aptly named The  _ Hatchet- _ Field - Tom had just walked in, with Tim at his hip. Emma tugged Paul along to catch up.

"Hey, Tom! We're here, not late," she called, sliding through the door.

Tom waved with a little smile. He looked relaxed.

"Hey, Emma. Good to see you again, Pete."

"Paul."

"Right. You throwing?"

"I don't- uh," Paul glanced at Emma, who gave him a pleading smile. He sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Great, get your waivers signed then."

When Tom turned around Emma mouthed a  _ "Thank you" _ , to which Paul replied  _ "You owe me" _ , and she leaned up to kiss his cheek, sealing the deal. 

"Tim's not throwing too, is he?" She asked, skimming the waiver for an age limit.

Tom laughed. "Not 'til he's fourteen. He's just here to cheer us on, right bud?" 

He ruffled the kid's hair and he gave a little "mhm." Emma folded her arms and leaned on the table to watch Paul read through the waiver. He gave her a side-eye.

"Aren't you gonna read it?"

"It's all just common sense, isn't it? Don't throw outside the spaces or at any people, that kind of shit."

"I mean, yeah, but you should still read it in case of any fine print they could hold against us."

Emma waved her hand dismissively. "If either of us get hurt we're set, Tom's attorney is Gary Goldstein, best in town." Paul made an uncertain noise. "You worry too much, Paul, it'll be fine."

"Okay, okay." Paul finished going over the waiver. "Everything looks good here."

They both signed and Tom brought them past the entrance to the row of throwing bays that made up the center of the range. A bay was a space enclosed by three dividing walls, each with two wooden targets lined at the bottom with mulch and processed wood chips. Between each set of targets in the throwing space sat a holder full of different sized axes. Tom chose an empty bay on the end to set them up and Tim took a seat behind the bar. The coach met them there.

"Hey Tom, who's the new meat? I haven't seen these two around." She said.

"This is my sister-in-law, Emma, and her, uh… Paul."

Emma snorted.

"Well, Emma, Paul, good to meet you! I'm Rachel, I'll be coaching your session today. Have either of you thrown before?"

A "Nope" in unison.

"Alright, cool! We'll get you two warming up in the bay first, after a quick safety lecture of course."

The lecture was essentially just a summary of the waiver, plus a few pointers on hold and throwing technique. Rachel threw one as an example and it sunk hard into the four-point ring, splintering the wood. Paul flinched at the sound it made. She yanked the axe from the board and casually sauntered to pass it to Emma like it was nothing. She looked at Paul expectantly and he fumbled to grab a slightly bigger one from the holder.

"Whenever you're ready, take your first throws!"

No hesitation, Emma reared back and hurled the axe at the target. It hit by the handle and spun out, clattering to the floor. Her shoulders sagged in disappointment.

"Shit."

"Solid technique, try backing up next time. You might be too close to the target." Emma nodded and took a step back. "Paul, your turn."

Paul turned the axe in his hand, fixing his grip at the bottom. He rocked back timidly and when the axe hit the base of the wall and tumbled into the mulch he jumped, forming a shield over his chest with his arms like it was going to come back and attack him.

"Try throwing a little harder." Rachel said.

He and Emma went to retrieve their axes. Emma made sure to stand farther back than last time before throwing again.

"You got it, Emma!" Tom shouted.

Emma glanced back with a grin before rocking back. The axe bounced off again, but seemed closer to sticking this time. When Paul threw again he just did the exact same thing as before, with the same result.

It took a few tries and a bit of stance adjustment, but Emma eventually stuck her axe into the board inside the three-point ring.

_ "Fuck  _ yeah!" Emma hollered, pumping her fist.

"Nice!" Rachel clapped.

Tom gave a loud  _ whoop _ and Paul held out his hand for Emma's approaching high-five.

"Great job, Em."

"Come on, your turn, I bet you'll stick it, too."

He did not.

Rachel got up from her seat at the bar and moved to the side of the bay to watch a little closer.

"Your technique looks mostly good but your actual throw is real timid." She said, examining Paul up and down. "You're holding it too tight and you jump back as soon as you release, you're not giving it enough follow-through. Just try throwing it harder, without jumping back."

Paul nodded. "Okay."

"Tom, why don't you tag in for Emma? Get a few throws in so Paul can see your technique."

Emma reached over to squeeze Paul's arm before she left the bay. "You got it, babe."

She and Tom shared a fist-bump as they swapped out. Tom lined up his shot with his free hand and threw with a grunt, the tip of the blade sinking into the red paint of the bullseye with a loud  _ thunk. _

_ "Damn!" _ Emma whooped, banging her hands against the bar while Tim cheered.

"Okay, how the hell am I supposed to follow that?" Paul cried, and Tom laughed.

"You can't." Paul frowned and Tom clapped him on the shoulder. "Kidding, bud."

Paul sighed and tried again, mimicking Tom's technique this time, but his instincts still sent him leaping backwards the second the axe left his hand, his arm snapping over his chest. The axe didn't even make it to the wall, clattering pathetically into the mulch.

"Dammit."

"Don't be scared of it, Paul, it's not gonna hurt you." Tom said as he went to yank his axe out of the splintered target.

"It's an axe!"

Emma laughed. "He just means don't be scared of throwing it."

"Only way to get hurt is to not be careful." Tom said. "You're bein'  _ too  _ careful, you keep pulling back like it's gonna turn into a chainsaw and come back to chop you up. Most it'll do is slide back over the floor."

Emma folded her arms and leaned over the bar. "Tom, what was more annoying in your shop class? Kids who were too reckless or kids who refused to get near the saws?"

"Different breeds of annoying. At least the reckless ones settled down after a close call."

"I bet working with the other ones was like trying to coax a turtle out of its shell."

"I don't appreciate being vagued about like this." Paul said, crossing his arms.

"Don't be a turtle then, babe."

"You are literally turtling every time you throw." Tom agreed.

"Okay!" Paul flung up his free hand defensively.

"The axe  _ wants  _ to stick in the target, that's what it was built for." Rachel added her two cents. "You just have to let it. With enough follow through it'll do the real work for you."

"I know! I know how this stuff works, I got it." Paul turned the axe in his hand, studying it with a glare like it was his arch nemesis. "I'm just rusty, I haven't done any kind of throwing in a long time."

Beside him Tom set up to throw again, so he watched. Something different this time, he gripped the axe in both hands and raised it over his head, stepping back and hurling nice and hard. He didn't hit another bullseye, but it did sink deep into the wood. Emma whooped loudly. Paul copied again, trying out the two-handed throw. It ricocheted off the target yet again, but when he glanced back Tom looked pleased. 

"That was a lot better." He said.

Paul wasn't so sure. "Was it?"

"Yeah, man. You're still flinching, though."

"It's not intentional, I'm just a jumpy person!"

"That's true," Emma added.

"See, thank you Emma."

"Just focus on letting your arms go straight, follow the handle out with your hands." Tom said.

Emma gave Tim a nudge. "Teacher mode activated."

"Go for it, try again."

Paul tried again. He did as Tom said, very consciously swinging his arms out with his throw and not bringing them down until the axe sunk into the target.

_ Wait. _

It stuck. Nice and centered on the board, right on the line of the two-point ring.

Emma shrieked.

_ "Yeah, Paul!!" _

_ "Yes!" _ Tom turned for a high-five, fully expecting to send Paul stumbling back only to be met with equal force from the excited taller man, giving both their palms a vibrating sensation they had to shake out.

"I did it!" Paul yelled.

Rachel beamed fondly. "Ugh, I love coaching newbies, you're so excitable."

"Tradition's sticking it at least once before going through some games." Tom said.

"That seems like a leap when I  _ just  _ got it into the board," Paul said. "Shouldn't we practice more?"

"The games are practice, just with more incentive." Rachel got up and headed for the whiteboard hung up in between the bays. She wrote all three of their names in a scoreboard. "We'll have you circle through, one throw each round, and the first to fifty points wins."

They played the game and - surprising nobody - Tom won. Though when Emma hit her first bullseye and Paul was in the bay with her she got so excited she grabbed him and kissed him right on the lips for the first time in public, so in addition to being completely smitten for the rest of the day he considered it a personal win.

"Gross," Tom had ribbed from the bar, covering Tim's eyes.

Evidently, Emma's excited affection knew no bounds. Later on when Tom managed to land a kill shot - a small blue dot on both corners of the target, eight points - she shrieked and pummeled him with lighthearted punches to the arm. Tom officially learned not to underestimate her or Paul's strength after that point. Plus learning she wasn't afraid to be a little aggressive freed him up to give her a good natured slug to the shoulder after her next bullseye, and when she beamed and slugged him back for a moment it felt like they'd always been family.

It was more of a bonding activity than Emma or Paul had really expected. They hadn't planned anything after their two-hour session, but Tom casually mentioned a nearby wings place and Emma and Paul figured they didn't have anything going on that night anyway, so why not just go there?

"This sucked way less than I expected it to." Emma muttered to Paul as they walked down the street. "Not at all, actually."

"Yeah, I actually kind of had fun? Maybe not enough to make a habit of it, but I didn't hate it."

"Go figure. Solid way to bond with your brother-in-law; go axe-throwing."

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly this kinda got away from me I'm not sure what it is anymore but. idk I just want Emma and Tom to get along and tease Paul together okay
> 
> anyway thanks for reading! <3


End file.
